Willie Gilbert Dougherty was born on July 6, 1948, in Amarillo, TX. Due to his father's military transfer, Willie moved to Tidewater VA, at the age of two. Willie G. Dougherty served his country in the United States Army, and was wounded while serving in the Vietnam War, Phu Lam, and was awarded the Purple Heart.

After returning home to the country he fought for, he received a not-so-warm homecoming from his fellow Americans, Willie dedicated himself to serving his fellow veterans on the homefront, being a strong advocate for veterans rights and benefits as part of the Vietnam Veterans Voice of Austin. He served as a Veterans Service Officer for Travis County, and at some point also served as its Chapter 1919 Service Officer.
In recent years, Willie moved with this wife, Jean, from Austin to Livingston, TX, but he returned often to Austin to attend special veterans' events, and a only one year before his passing, attended the Veteran's Day Parade in 2005.

Willie G. Doughterty died at the young age of 58, on October 27, 2006, not quite 40 years after returning home from Vietnam.
A memorial service was held for Willie on October 31, 2005. He was laid to rest in West Tempe Cemetery Livingston, Texas. Welcome Home, Willie!

This webpage is my tribute site to Willie G. Dougherty, friend, Vietnam Veteran, Veterans' Advocate, and also a talented poet and fantastic storyteller. Through his poetry Willie expressed how he felt about being a Vietnam Veteran.

Godspeed, Willie! We Will Miss You!

Collection of Willie's Poems

Welcome Homeby Willie Dougherty

"Welcome home soldier, we're proud of you"
Spoken words were never so true.
But that doesn't stop this hurt deep inside.
God, would it have been easier if I had died?

I want them to know how proud I am,
And that I really do give a damn.
But, it hurts me so to see everyone,
Forget that thankless job we had done.

We didn't want to fight that war,
Don't even know what were fighting for.
Came home tired, hurt, and lost.
So many lives that damn war cost.

You expect me to talk, it will help me deal.
But, the nightmare for me is still so real.
What can I say to make you see
the person That's here is no longer me.

Will you ever understand
how much I left behind in Nam?
My mind is numb, my heart is torn.
My desolate past, I quietly mourn.

This empty space inside of me
The space where life used to be.
Now, just sorrow, pain and fear
And one very lonely, solitary tear.

The cold steel of the revolver touched his sweaty palm.
Alcohol numbed his soul, as he contemplated suicide.
Why had it been so tough for so many since the war?
Broken relationships, loneliness....he had to decide.

The radio droned low to the tune of "Hey Jude."
Memories of the jungle flooded his mind.
So many years of struggle had come to this moment
His heart felt pain for his buddies left behind.

Shrugged by society, thousands have since died.
Why won't anyone listen to our cries of pain?
As he spun the cylinder, he thought of the children.
Their faces filled with fear, who was to gain?
Now his own children were with another father.

Thoughts of what he had done, angered him.
She had been a good wife, he had lost control.
Oh how it hurt, when he pondered upon them.
Rap groups had proven, others were suffering too.
How could great warriors be neglected by their peers?

Isolation and denial had become close friends.
For in his solitude, no one could touch his tears.
As he raised the revolver his hand began to quiver.
Great rage had dissipated into pastive defeat.

Once a proud soldier, full of raw courage.
Now turning his weapon inward, was such a hard feat.
As he began to squeeze, he heard a familiar sound.
"POW's" ...Russia may still hold some from the Nam.

A myriad of thoughts cascaded through his mind.
A woman kneeling in prayer, he knew was his Mom.
Communism was crumbling before the world's eyes.
Visions of Vietnam today, in such great trail.

It all began to click, who had really won?
A warmth came within that he hadn't felt in a while.
The impact was strong, they had not died in vain.
Corruption rand deep, amongst political allies.
"Peace with Honor" was always shallow and fragile.

Cover up after cover up, filled with lies.
Sunlight raced in, as he opened the door.
An old Soldier weathered, by many hard years.
As the new day dawned, he felt a renewed life.

Determined to find answers, he challenged the fears.
The Veterans were right, this is what they needed.
A string that tied them with the past.
Many will be indicted in the days to come.

The following poem was written by a Vietnam Era Veteran who also served a tour in Korea, '74-'75. All stories and poems I have seen written by Vietnam Veterans have a common theme, and that is honor and duty to one's country.

I feel that this is something that is not understood by today's generation, except for the troops now serving. By displaying these poems, I hope to inspire some of our young men and women to understand the concept that once was shared by all Americans at one time.

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Country Boyby Kerry Leight

In a quaint lil' town,
with woods gathered `round,
lived a young boy of Irish decent.

Full of young man's schemes
and pipe cloud dreams,
but mostly of honest intent.

He liked quiet places
and wide open spaces,
he liked to walk all alone.

So, oh what a pity,
that he yearned for the city,
for the country was always his home.

In his 18th year,
giving way to his fears,
he gave two years to "Uncle Sam".

And with all of his might,
he learned how to fight,
staying a year in Vietnam.

This "military hell",
with it's screaming shells,
it frightened him to the bone.

After the heat and the fear,
for nearly a year,
this country boy finally came home.

Then he sat down in thought,
but it all came to naught,
for he had been such a fool.

With your high IQ,
some are wiser than you,
for some things aren't learned in a school.

This page is dedicated to the POW/MIA's from the Vietnam War who are from my hometown. These brave heroes never came home and their bodies were never recovered. Where are they? Don't they deserve to be buried on American soil? I have 'adopted' these men and the pages will remain until they all come home.

This page includes the names of all the men on the Philadelphia Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall. I also included the inscription that appears on the wall in Penns Landing. Even though I moved away years ago, Philadelphia is the city I grew up in and where I attended school. These men from the City of Brotherly Love sacrificed their own lives for freedom. This is my way of honoring them.

My tribute to the greatest country in the world, and to the heroes who fight for my freedom everyday. I am proud to be an American, and I am extremely proud of my fellow Americans who put their lives on the line fearlessly and selflessly, every day, to make America the greatest country in the world.

This is my page for Vietnam Veterans, to give them the Welcome Home! and Thanks for Serving! they never received, but deserved at the end of the Vietnam War. A page could never undue the harm done to those returning heroes who were disrespected and dishonored by their fellow citizens.

This page is brand new. It is my tribute to the United States of America. I have included everything that makes our country great. It is brand new, so please feel free to stop by from time to time. It also serves as an educational website where kids can find out how lucky they are to have born in America.

On St. Patrick's Day, thousands of Veterans and US troops' supporters gathered at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC to oppose the large 'march on the pentagon' headed up by some of the most dangerous radical groups in our country.

bfmuldrake@comcast.net

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{Spammers attacked my guestbook. If you want to comment on Willie's page,
you can do so on my blog dedicated to Willie, by clicking on the guestbook icon]